Form of government: constitutional monarchy with a National Diet consisting of two legislative houses (House of Councillors [252]; House of Representatives [511]).
Chief of state: Emperor.
Head of government: Prime Minister.
Capital: Tokyo.
Official language: Japanese.
Official religion: none.
Monetary unit: 1 yen (A)=100 sen; valuation (Oct.
6, 1995) 1 U.S.$= A100.75; 1 
=A159.27.
Population (1995): 125,362,000.
Density (1995): persons per sq mi 859.3, persons per sq km 331.8.
Urban-rural:(1993): urban 77.4%; rural 22.6%.
Sex distribution (1994{1}): male 49.05%; female 50.95%.
Age breakdown (1994{1}): under 15, 16.4%; 15-29, 22.0%; 30-44, 20.2%; 45-59, 21.5%; 60-74, 14.4%; 75 and over, 5.5%.
Population projection: (2000) 127,287,000; (2010) 130,344,000.
Doubling time: not applicable; doubling time exceeds 100 years.
Composition by nationality (1993): Japanese 98.9%; Korean 0.5%; Chinese 0.2%; Brazilian 0.1%; other 0.3%.
Place of birth (1994): 99.2% native-born; 0.8% foreign-born (mainly Ko rean).
Immigration (1993): permanent immigrants/registered aliens admitted 1,320,748, from North and South Korea 51.7%, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China 15.9%, Brazil 11.7%, Philippines 5.5%, United States 3.2%, Peru 2.5%, United Kingdom 0.9%, Thailand 0.9%, Vietnam 0.6%, Canada 0.5%, Australia 0.5%, other 6.1%.
Major cities (1994{1}): Tokyo 8,021,943; Yokohama 3,300,513; Osaka 2,575,042; Nagoya 2,153,293; Sapporo 1,744,806; Kobe 1,518,982; Kyoto 1,448,377; Fukuoka 1,275,165; Kawasaki 1,202,069; Hiroshima 1,106,367; Kita-Kyushu 1,019,372.
Religious affiliation (1992): Shinto and related religions 51.3%; Buddhism 38.3%; Christian 1.2%; other 8.9%.
Households (1990). Total households 40,670,000; average household size 3.0; composition of households 1 person 23.1%, 2 persons 20.6%, 3 persons 18.1%, 4 persons 21.7%, 5 persons 9.3%, 6 or more persons 7.2%. Family households 31,204,000 (76.7%); nonfamily 9,466,000 (23.3%), of which 1 person 9,390,000 (23.1%).
Mobility (October 1990). Population living in same residence as in October 1985, 74.7%; different residence, same town 9.5%; same prefecture 7.9%; different prefecture 7.6%; different country 0.3%.
Birth rate per 1,000 population (1994): 10.0 (world avg. 25.0); (1985) legitimate 99.0%; illegitimate 1.0%.
Death rate per 1,000 population (1994): 7.1 (world avg. 9.3).
Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1994): 2.9 (world avg. 15.7).
Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1994): 1.5.
Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1993): 6.4; median age at first marriage (1992) men 29.7 years, women 27.0 years.
Divorce rate per 1,000 population (1993): 1.5.
Life expectancy at birth (1994): male 76.6 years; female 83.0 years.
Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1993): malignant neoplasms (cancers) 189.1; heart diseases 144.6; cerebrovascular diseases 95.3; pneumonia and bronchitis 70.1; accidents and adverse effects 27.8; senility without mention of psychosis 18.5; suicide 16.4; nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis 14.8; cirrhosis of the liver 13.6; diabetes mellitus 8.2.
Educational attainment (1990). Percentage of population age 25 years and over having: primary 34.3%; secondary education 44.5%; postsecondary 21.2%.
Quality of working life. Average workweek (1993): 38.2 hours. Annual rate of industrial deaths per 100,000 workers (1992): 2.8. Proportion of labour force insured for damages or income loss resulting from injury, permanent disability, and death (1991): 50.1%. Average man-days lost to labour stoppages per 1,000,000 workdays (1993): 4.2. Average duration of journey to work (1988){2}: 26.8 minutes (1983; 26.7% private automobile, 67.4% public transportation, 5.5% taxi, 0.4% other). Rate per 1,000 workers of discouraged (unemployed no longer seeking work; 1993): 87.8.
Access to services (1989). Proportion of households having access to: gas supply 64.6%; safe public water supply 94.0%; public sewage collection 89.4%.
Social participation. Eligible voters participating in last national election (1993): 67.3%. Population 15 years and over participating in social-service activities on a voluntary basis (1987): 25.2%. Trade union membership in total workforce (1993): 24.2%.
Social deviance (1992). Offense rate per 100,000 population for: homicide 1.0; rape 1.2; robbery 1.8; larceny and theft 1,227.3. Incidence in general population of: alcoholism, n.a.; drug and substance abuse, n.a. Rate of suicide per 100,000 population: 16.8.
Material well-being (1994). Households possessing: automobile 79.7%; telephone, virtually 100%; colour television receiver 99.3%; refrigerator 98.9%; air conditioner 72.3%; washing machine 99.4%; vacuum cleaner 98.7%; videocassette recorder 82.8%; camera 86.8%; microwave oven 84.3%; compact disc player 53.8%.
Gross national product (at current market prices; 1994): U.S.$4,693,200,000,000 (U.S.$37,560 per capita).
Budget (1994). Revenue: A59,384,700,000,000 (income tax 34.2%; corporation tax 20.6%; value-added tax 9.6%; liquor and tobacco tax 5.3%; fuel taxes 4.1%; stamp duties 2.7%; customs duties 1.5%). Expenditures: A73,081,700,000,000 (debt service 19.6%; social security 18.4%; transfer to local governments 17.4%; public works 15.2%; culture, education, and science promotion 8.2%; national defense 6.4%; pensions 2.4%).
Public debt (1994): U.S.$2,166,400,000,000.
Population economically active (1994): total 66,430,000; activity rate of total population 53.2% (participation rates: age 15 and over, 63.6%; female 40.5%; unemployed 2.9%).
Household income and expenditure (1992). Average household size 3.7; average annual income per household A6,766,300 (U.S.$53,420); sources of income: wages and salaries 59.3%, transfer payments 19.5%, self-employment 10.1%, other 11.1%; expenditure: food 24.3%, reading and recreation 10.0%, transportation 9.9%, clothing and footwear 6.6%, fuel, light, and water charges 5.7%, housing 5.6%, education 4.5%, furniture and household utensils 3.7%, medical care 2.9%.
Tourism (1993): receipts from visitors U.S.$3,557,000,000; expenditures by nationals abroad U.S.$26,860,000,000.
Land use (1993): forested 66.7%; meadows and pastures 1.8%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 11.8%; other 19.7%.
Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1992) 895,336,000,000 (895,336,000,000); coal (metric tons; 1992) 7,613,000 (116,813,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1992) 6,243,000 (1,541,000,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1992) 172,668,000, of which (by volume) diesel 29.7%, heavy fuel oil 22.6%, gasoline 18.1%, kerosene and jet fuel 13.8% (187,570,000); natural gas (cu m; 1992) 2,243,000,000 (56,363,000,000). Composition of energy supply by source (1992): crude oil and petroleum products 58.2%, coal 16.1%, natural gas 10.6%, nuclear power 10.0%, hydroelectric power 3.8%, other 1.3%. Domestic energy demand by end use (1992): mining and manufacturing 47.6%, residential and commercial 25.8%, transportation 23.8%, other 2.8%.
Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1994): rice 14,976,000, sugar beets 3,853,000, potatoes 3,400,000, cabbages 2,700,000, sugarcane 1,670,000, mandarin oranges 1,512,000, onions 1,400,000, sweet potatoes 1,264,000, apples 1,048,000, raw sugar 887,000, cucumbers 800,000, tomatoes 750,000, carrots 720,000, watermelons 710,000, wheat 565,000, pears 431,000, eggplants 430,000, pumpkins 285,000, grapes 246,000, barley 225,000, strawberries 207,000, peaches 174,000, oranges 139,000, dry beans 110,000, soybeans 99,000, tea 86,000, green beans 75,000, tobacco leaves 74,000, green peas 50,000, cow's milk 8,365,000, hen's eggs 2,562,000; livestock (number of live animals) 10,621,000 pigs, 4,989,000 cattle (of which dairy cows 28%), 31,000 goats, 28,000 horses, 25,000 sheep, 324,000,000 chickens; roundwood (1993) 32,570,000 cu m; fish catch (1993) 8,707,000, of which sardines 1,714,000, mackerel 665,000, Alaska pollack 382,000, squid 316,000, oysters 236,000, crabs 56,000, river eels 34,000, carp 13,000. Mining and quarrying (1994): limestone 202,488,000; silica stone 18,479,000; silica sand 3,944,000; dolomite 3,831,000; pyrophyllite 662,000; pyrophyllite clay 274,000; zinc 100,653; lead 9,946; copper 6,043; tungsten 578{3}; silver 133,410 kg; gold 9,550 kg. Manufacturing (1993): crude steel 99,623,000; semifinished steel 102,727,000{4}; cement 88,044,000; hot-rolled steel products 87,982,000{4}; pig iron 73,738,000; sulfuric acid 6,937,000; fertilizers 6,091,000; plastic products 4,742,000; newsprint 2,917,000; spun yarn 729,000; synthetic fabrics 2,265,000,000 sq m; cotton fabrics 1,205,000,000 sq m; finished products (in number of units) 447,693,000 watches and clocks, 41,576,000 electronic desk calculators, 21,615,000 air conditioners, 19,986,000 videocassette recorders, 12,428,000 cameras, 10,717,000 colour television receivers, 8,494,000 passenger cars, 7,699,000 video cameras, 6,858,000 bicycles, 5,163,000 automatic washing machines, 5,109,000 facsimile machines, 4,351,000 electric refrigerators, 3,459,000 microwave ovens, 3,282,000 computers, 3,023,000 motorcycles, 2,207,000 photocopy machines. Construction (value in A '000,000; 1993): residential 25,789,000; nonresidential 59,239,000.
Imports (1994): A28,100,000,000,000 (machinery and transport equipment 24.6%, food products 15.2%, petroleum and petroleum products 10.1%, textiles 8.1%, chemicals and chemical products 7.4%). Major import sources: United States 22.8%; China 10.0%; Australia 5.0%; South Korea 4.9%; Indonesia 4.7%; Germany 4.1%; Taiwan 3.9%; Canada 3.3%; Saudi Arabia 3.1%; Malaysia 3.0%.
Exports (1994): A40,500,000,000,000 (electrical machinery 24.6%, motor vehicles 14.4%, chemicals 6.0%, scientific and optical equipment 4.6%, iron and steel products 3.8%, textiles and allied products 2.1%). Major export destinations: United States 29.7%; Hong Kong 6.5%; South Korea 6.2%; Taiwan 6.0%; Singapore 5.0%; China 4.7%; Germany 4.5%; Thailand 3.7%; United Kingdom 3.2%; Malaysia 3.1%.
Transport. Railroads (1993): length 23,690 mi{4}, 38,125 km{4}; rolling stock--locomotives 5,879, passenger cars 43,753, freight cars 46,661; passengers carried 22,759,000,000; passenger-mi 250,242,000,000, passenger-km 402,727,000,000; short ton-mi cargo 17,420,000,000, metric ton-km cargo 25,433,000,000. Roads (1993): total length 702,702 mi, 1,130,892 km (paved 72%). Vehicles (1993): passenger cars 40,772,407; trucks 22,493,773; buses 247,000. Merchant marine (1993): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 7,323; total deadweight tonnage 23,600,000. Air transport (1993): passengers carried 69,580,000; passenger-mi 69,346,000,000, passenger-km 111,602,000,000; short ton-mi cargo 3,697,000,000, metric ton-km cargo 5,398,000,000; airports (1995) with scheduled flights 74.
Communications. Daily newspapers (1994): total number 121; total circulation 71,924,000; circulation per 1,000 population 576. Radio (1994): 110,000,000 receivers (1 per 1.1 persons). Television (1994): 100,000,000 receivers (1 per 1.2 persons). Telephones (main lines; 1993): 58,459,000 (1 per 2.1 persons).
Radio and television broadcasting (1993): total radio stations 1,324, of which commercial 464; total television stations 14,475, of which commercial 7,553. Commercial broadcasting hours (by percentage of programs; 1992): reports--radio 13.0%, television 20.0%; education--radio 4.3%, television 12.2%; culture--radio 15.4%, television 24.2%; entertainment--radio 66.5%, television 41.5%. Advertisements (daily average; 1992): radio 158, television 291.
Literacy: total population age 15 and over literate, virtually 100%.
Health (1992): physicians 219,704 (1 per 566 persons); dentists 77,416 (1 per 1,606 persons); nurses 795,810 (1 per 156 persons); pharmacists 162,021 (1 per 767 persons); midwives 22,690 (1 per 5,476 persons); hospital beds 1,686,696 (1 per 74 persons), of which general 75.0%, mental 21.5%, tuberculosis 2.3%, other 1.2%; infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1994) 4.2.
Food (1992): daily per capita caloric intake 2,903 (vegetable products 78%, animal products 22%); 124% of FAO recommended minimum.
Total active duty personnel (1995): 239,500 (army 63.1%, navy 18.3%, air force 18.6%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1993): 1.0% (world 3.3%); per capita expenditure U.S.$335.